Oliva Saison Maduro Toro

As the second-largest grower of tobacco in Nicaragua, the Oliva family's generations of experience in the industry has served them well. They grow some of the finest crops in the world and are known for using the most skilled rollers and blenders in the country to create legendary cigars. Wanting to kick up the power of their highly successful and rated Saison, the team at Oliva stepped up to the challenge and ran with it, and the result is the Oliva Saison Maduro which is nothing short of legendary. This remarkable blend utilizes long-fillers that were all harvested in 2011 using only the cream of the crop tobaccos from their Nicaraguan farms. These pristine leaves are then hugged with a Nicaraguan binder and finished with a near perfect, dark, chewy, and toothy Broadleaf Maduro wrapper. The rich and amazingly complex combination has hints of cedar, sweet spices, and leather that is accompanied with a razor sharp burn. Medium to full bodied, this stogie pairs perfectly with a rye whiskey.

The Nicaraguan cigar industry originated when Cuban cigar makers escaped the revolution and re-established their livelihood in Nicaragua with Cuban-seed tobacco. Blessed with dark, rich soil, their new home was ideal for tobacco cultivation and Nicaragua quickly became known for cigars that rivaled Cuban quality. Unfortunately, revolution and war came to Nicaragua in the 1980s and devastated the industry, but it’s rebounded dramatically and is once again producing tobacco considered by many to be the finest in the world.

The Esteli Valley is in many ways the heart of Nicaraguan production and is known for its very powerful and spicy tobacco. The Jalapa Valley produces arguably the finest tobacco in the country: somewhat sweeter and less intense than Esteli, but extremely complex. The tobacco of the Condega Valley is often described as a blend of the other two regions.